2022-2023 Teaching Awards

2022-2023 Psychiatry Teaching Awards

The Psychiatry Teaching awards are presented annually before the Department of Psychiatry’s Grand Rounds.  Their purpose is to honor excellence in teaching, supervision, mentoring or related instructional activities in a number of categories.  Nominees for each award are selected for their ingenuity, clinical skill, availability, supportiveness, inspiration, dedication, humanism, patience, respect for diversity, and improvement in the teaching process.

Outstanding Faculty Housestaff Teaching Adult/Geri Division 

Eligible candidates are full-time faculty in the department who lecture, supervise, or tutor psychiatry residents, psychiatry fellows, or psychology trainees in the Adult or Geriatric Psychiatry Divisions at any of the DGSOM sites, and who have not received the award in the past three years. 

Erika Hsu, M.D. 

The teaching award for housestaff teaching in adult/geri, goes to Dr. Erika Hsu. A medical student wrote " As a medical student fresh out of my preclinical studies, I initially struggled to translate the subjectivity of the human mind into the objective findings of the mental status exam (MSE). When I expressed my frustration to Dr. Hsu and the team, the very next day, she had printed out vocabulary sheets of words we could use to describe our MSE findings. She explained how we could apply that vocabulary in the context of our patient list, and she tasked us with using at least three of those words every time we presented patients. It was a simple exercise, but very effective at building and reinforcing our tools for assessing psychiatric patients.”

A colleague writes, “I have had the great pleasure of working with Dr. Hsu in the Adult Track PDPc (Psychodynamic Psychotherapy concentration), having recruited her for this position after her graduation from residency last Spring. In our program Dr. Hsu has shown herself to be an outstanding teacher.

In the PDPc, Dr. Hsu is the primary co-teacher for the PGY3 curriculum. This involves leading a weekly,

three hour, learning session for five PGY3 residents. The session is divided into didactics and review of

weekly readings, experiential learning that includes meditation and therapy skills building, and facilitated

group review of patient session video from residents and faculty. This is no small task as the residents–just learning psychotherapy for the first time– bring their doubts, discomforts and disagreements into the learning process. Dr. Hsu and her co-teacher do quite a bit of heavy lifting each week; managing the group process, keeping the discussion productive, regulating emotional distress among the residents, and outlining and highlighting the key take-aways from the reading.

Outstanding Resident / Fellow Teaching

Eligible candidates are psychiatry residents, or child, forensic, geriatric, or other fellows, or psychology trainees who have primary teaching or supervisory responsibilities on their service or clinic for medical students, beginning residents, psychology trainees, or other trainees. 

Aaron Lulla, MD, PhD

Dr. Aaron Lulla, a second year psychiatry resident, is this year’s recipient of the award for outstanding resident/fellow teaching. A medical student states, Aaron Lulla, has been a joy to learn and work with. We could tell, whenever he held his teaching sessions, that he cared on a deep level about our experiences on our rotation at the VA. He consistently asked us how he could improve his small group didactics and whether we had any issues on consults or wards that could he could help with. When it came to direct clinical teaching, Aaron made sure that the information he was bestowing upon us was translated in a digestible way, so that us as medical students, could absorb it and put it into practice.”

During my psychiatry clerkship at the West LA VA, Dr. Lulla went far above any other resident that I have worked with to create a deeply tailored, thoughtful, and educational learning environment for me. More than any other mentor I owe him for my certainty in my decision to pursue research track psychiatry residency

Aaron Lulla is a fantastic student educator. He has, on his own initiative, created a medical student teaching curriculum and has been piloting it with the UCLA medical students rotating at the VA. He created shelf exam geared powerpoint presentations with questions, videos and content review that he goes over with students on a weekly basis.

A fellow resident writes, “In addition to his intentional efforts to promote learning, Dr. Lulla has exemplified patience, compassion, and positivity in the clinical setting. He serves as a role model in interdisciplinary professional relationships; I appreciated seeing him liaison with social work, nursing, therapists, and other colleagues, all in a profoundly patient-centered way. By fostering a collegial atmosphere and genuine team spirit, he seamlessly advanced patient care and helped other trainees do the same.”

Outstanding Community Educator

Full-time or part-time faculty or teaching staff who teach, train, provide professional development, coaching, or mentorship in the community. 

Hallie Scott, M.Phil., Ph.D.

Dr. Hallie Scott is receiving an award for Outstanding Community Educator. Dr. Scott is a museum educator and Specialist for University Audiences at the Hammer Museum.

A current resident wrote “During my intern year, Hallie co-led a discussion about structural inequity using artwork as a catalyst for conversation. We discussed what pieces meant to us and what we saw, and it was amazing to see how she facilitated conversations about race, gender, class and inequity. My favorite part of orientation was discussing Mark Bradford's Rebuild South Central, a mixed media piece where the artist layered material he kept from the Rodney King uprisings. We talked about police brutality, gentrification and past and present uprisings. That session and the session we had during my second year both made me think about how we could reflect and reimagine using art, and made me more excited to work in community settings in Los Angeles.”

An alumi resident writes “Dr. Scott is a courageous educator and an invaluable community partner. She is exceedingly deserving of this award for her commitment to supporting burgeoning UCLA psychiatrists to grapple with structural determinants of health through conversations about art..

A current faculty member wrote I have known Ms. Scott since 2019, when our psychiatry residency program first partnered with the Hammer Museum on an educational event. Since that time, I have been continually inspired by Ms. Scott’s dedication to teaching our psychiatry residents and the level of ingenuity and innovation that she brings to each and every class. Ms. Scott has left a deep impression on our residents and our program, particularly in her teaching on topics of implicit bias, social justice, and criminal justice systems.”

Outstanding Faculty Housestaff Teaching Child & Adolescent/Population Behavioral Health

Eligible candidates are full-time faculty in the department who lecture, supervise, or tutor psychiatry residents, psychiatry fellows, or psychology trainees in the Child and Adolescent or DPBH Psychiatry Divisions at any of the DGSOM sites, and who have not received the award in the past three years. 

Patricia Walshaw, Ph.D.

Dr. Patricia Walshaw is the recipient of this year’s housestaff teaching award for the division of child & adolescent and population behavioral health Dr. Walshaw serves As Director of the Neurobehavioral Epilepsy Program at UCLA and Assistant Professor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

A colleague writes, “She stands out, not just because she is one of the few psychologists who can be seen wearing scrubs and a white coat in our hallways, as she “zips” between the hospital and Semel, in her shifting roles, but because she is welcoming and inclusive, making everyone feel that they are an important part of the team, division, and the university. Many of my own trainees who have had the privilege of learning from her, have commented on Dr Walshaw’s brilliance and use of support and scaffolding provided under her supervision, to enhance their learning experience in her clinics..”

A faculty member mentions, “People have told me that, “as teachers you have to meet your trainees where they are at.” I never fully understood what this meant, until I saw Dr. Walshaw engage with trainees. She is compassionate, patient, and encouraging. She is respectful and sensitive to the diversity of the trainees and our patients. Above all, she has consistently shown an unwavering commitment to teaching others and providing high quality patient-centered care.

Outstanding Volunteer Clinical Faculty Teaching

Eligible candidates are volunteer faculty in the clinical instructor or clinical professor series whose primary work or responsibilities are outside the university (such as private practice, other clinics or hospitals, or public agencies), who have not received this award in the past three years, and provide clinical supervision or teach in courses offered to medical students, undergraduate or graduate students, residents and fellows, or psychology trainees or participate in other clinical teaching activities in the Semel Institute or Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital (or its affiliated hospitals and clinics).

Elizabeth Casalegno, M.D.

This year’s Volunteer Clinical Faculty teaching award goes to Dr. Elizabeth Casalegno.

Dr. Casalegno is an exceptional physician teacher who stands out even among the many great teachers in the UCLA psychiatry department. She demonstrates a combination of incredibly compassionate care with fastidious attention to detail, while also being able to meet the resident where they are at in their learning process. In the psychosis clinic she is frequently sought out for particularly complex cases and she provides high-quality, clinically relevant lectures. In addition, this year she facilitated the onboarding of a new faculty member, Dr. Streibel, assisting her with integration into the clinic. She provides a great service to the residents in the psychosis clinic and represents an aspirational level of care for the trainees to aim for.

A current faculty member wrote “One of her remarkable strengths is her ability to smoothly integrate pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions.   This makes her a wonderful role model for our residents.  Her knowledge is broad and encompasses the common disorders that affect outpatients.  In a typical clinic she may discuss the application of psychotherapeutic approaches to psychosis, depression, anxiety, and OCD.   For each, she provides knowledge and experience with selecting the right modality and when they should be integrated.  She is also able to adapt to the questions that trainees have as well as their level of knowledge and skills.”

Outstanding Research Mentor

Eligible candidates are full-time faculty or staff in the department who are directly supervising research projects of residents and fellows and of psychology trainees and/or who are providing mentoring to such trainees or to junior faculty (below the rank of associate professor) on research, promotion, or career advancement who have not received this award in the past three years.

Emily Ricketts, Ph.D.

The recipient of the Outstanding Research Mentor Award is Dr. Emily Ricketts. A current faculty member states, “In addition to her direct research mentorship, Dr. Ricketts also provides group and individual training and supervision in diagnostic and clinical outcome assessment to the graduate student externs providing these services to not only her own research projects but to those of other faculty in our program. Her success as a research mentor goes beyond simple instruction in research methodology; she has created a warm, supportive, honest and open training environment and is always generous with her time and energy, be it to address an issue, solve a problem, or celebrate a success. She is extremely dedicated to her mentees and a highly knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and engaging teacher.”

A faculty member reflected, “Given how incredibly demanding Dr. Ricketts’ multiple clinical and research responsibilities are, I have always been impressed by how unfailingly generous she is with her time when it comes to mentoring trainees interested in research. She is genuinely interested and committed to mentoring students at all levels of training from undergraduate students exploring career paths to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows developing a field of expertise.”

A professor wrote, Dr. Ricketts has a varied teaching portfolio which includes training and supervision in clinical features and behavior therapy (i.e., habit reversal training, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and exposure and response prevention) for youth and young adults to clinical psychology interns, and psychiatry residents and fellows. I personally have heard Dr. Ricketts give lectures to my class in circadian rhythms and found them to be thoughtful and well organized.

Outstanding Medical Student Teaching

Eligible candidates are full-time faculty or staff in the department who lecture, supervise, or tutor medical students in courses, selectives, the required clerkship, or elective at any of the DGSOM sites, and who have not received the award in the past three years.

John H. Lee, M.D., Ph.D.

The recipient of this year’s Medical Student Teaching award is Dr. John Lee. A current resident states “I have worked with Dr. Lee on the C/L psychiatry service for several weeks, and numerous times on call. He consistently provides stellar teaching to residents and medical students, managing to find a perfect balance between education and efficiency. His teaching is thorough, concise and clear, and it is always very clinically relevant. I specifically look forward to any opportunities I have to work with him, as I know I will be well supported and will have some of the best opportunities for learning that I will have during residency.”

A medical student notes, “Dr. Lee has a unique ability to make complex psychiatric concepts understandable and relatable for medical students. He encourages students to think critically and ask questions, while also providing guidance and support to help us understand the material fully. His teaching style is interactive and engaging, which keeps students actively involved in the learning process.”

Personally, I owe much of my own successes to Dr. Lee’s outstanding mentorship both in research and career advising. When I was seeking a research mentor in Psychiatry last year, Dr. Lee both helped me find potential mentors and also kindly offered to serve as my research mentor.